Christmas Disaster
by bnpwrites
Summary: The residents of PA Manor Apartments get a little closer when a Christmas crash turns out the lights. Bella can't complain since it means she gets to spend a little time with Edward, the hottie across the hall.


A/N: This is a little something I did for the Jingle All the Way Fan Fiction Contest on FB. Can I tell y'all I got kind of misty eye'd when I found out it was 1st Place for Judge's Pick? It was a lot like that scene in the Grinch when his heart grows. Feelings and all.

Also, to anyone who has me on author alert and was looking for a WIB update...my bad. Regular posting schedule should resume this week!

Everyone who saw the animatronic horses with twinkly lights and equally twinkly carriages, knew they were going to be a disaster, but the city was determined to get back what they paid for the damn things. Bella Swan had hardly paid the Christmas monstrosities much attention. At least, she hadn't paid them any attention until she heard the crash.

She had just got the fire going, and settled on the couch with a piping hot cup of peppermint hot chocolate, when she heard the commotion blaring up from the city street, three floors below. Horns, yelling, a crash, and then that oddly loud sound of silence, as the electricity went out. Bella placed her mug on the coffee table and walked over to the window. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw the predicament below. Animatronic horse limbs were strewn across the street. A twinkly horse head hung from the traffic light. Wrapped around a heavily tilted electricity pole, was the corresponding carriage, with lights more resilient than the ones Bella shoved into her big storage box of Christmas shit. No one appeared to be injured, but there was a car askew nearby. Bella assumed the very large, bald man angrily shaking his fist at the elf suited carriage driver, was the car's owner. A small crowd was gathering, and Bella could hear sirens in the distance. She walked away from her window shaking her head.

Outside in the hall, she could hear the residents of PA Manor Apartments trying to figure out what in the hell was going on. Bella threw on her cardigan and headed out. The hallway was lit by the emergency lights, and it was already a good deal colder than Bella's apartment. She felt her smile appear again when she saw Mrs. Cope from 3D, sharing space at the window, with Alice Brandon from 3C. Under normal circumstances, grouchy old Cope wouldn't share the same air with mohawked, multi-pierced Alice, if she could avoid it. As she approached, Alice glanced back and shot Bella a smile.

"Hey, Bella B," she said, before turning back to watch the scene on the street. Alice was quirky, to say the least, and over the past two years Bella had grown accustomed to her title of "Bella From Apartment B". Gradually, it had shortened into the current incarnation of "Bella B". Bella kinda liked having a title.

"Hey," Bella replied, coming to stand behind the other two so that she could take in the sights.

"I checked the power company's website, it'll be after midnight before they get it back on," Alice informed Bella with a sigh. Mrs. Cope only huffed. The sum of Mrs. Cope's communication with her younger neighbors was typically huffs and grunts, so Bella wasn't surprised.

"That blows," Bella said.

On the street, angry bald guy had elf man in a pretty serious headlock. Onlookers were holding up their phones. Bella could have sworn she heard someone yell _Worldstar._

"Tell me about it," Alice agreed. "They just finished the renos on our side to convert our fireplaces from gas to electric. Just in time to freeze our asses off after the _Great Carriage Crash of Sixteen._ "

"Damn," Bella muttered. Earlier that week, she had been a little disappointed they were only doing renos on one side of the hall at a time. Now, she was stoked that her gas fireplace was still burning merrily away.

Alice shrugged.

"Jasper is gonna come get me after his shift ends. I'll only have to mummy it up for a couple of hours," she said.

Before Bella could reply, she heard the door to the stair well. As always, the walking art work from 3A shorted out her circuits. Edward Cullen. Edward, with the crazy, wild hair and soft green eyes. Edward, who always held the door. Who liked to chat when they happen to meet up at the mail boxes; always completely unaware that his gravelly voice left her unable to follow the conversation because she was too busy thinking about if he liked to talk dirty in bed. Bella gave him, what she hoped, was a friendly smile, not a hungry stalker smile.

"So, PA's attempt to Disney things up went awry. Who would have thought?" he chuckled.

Alice snickered. Mrs. Cope grunted. Bella wondered what Edward would do if she randomly turned around and shoved her tongue down his throat.

"It'll be after midnight until the electricity gets back on," Alice informed the new arrival.

"Lucky for me, I've got that brand new electric fireplace," Edward said. Bella glanced back to see him smirk. When their eyes caught, he gave her an eye-roll and a dismissive shrug.

"They haven't got to our side yet…" Bella began, only to be cut off by Mrs. Cope suddenly turning and barreling away, as if she knew exactly where this was going. The slamming of her door made things quite clear.

Bella, Edward, and Alice traded bewildered looks before bursting into laughter.

"As I was saying, before Miss Havisham had to take her leave of us, we're still on gas," Bella said shaking her head. "I've got a fire going, if you guys want to chill for a while."

Bella was slightly worried that having Edward in her apartment increased her odds of getting slapped with a sexual assault charge, but she figured having Alice there would act as a buffer.

"Yay!" Alice said with giddy enthusiasm. "I've got wine."

"Sounds great," Edward agreed.

 _Oh shit_ , Bella thought.

"So, she slaps her free hand on her hip and says, 'I'd like to jingle your bells'," Edward stops to take another sip of the wine before continuing. "And pretty much all of her front teeth are covered in bright ass red lip stick."

Both Alice and Bella were nearly in tears, laughing at Edward's story about serving his new Jingle My Bells Eggnog at work. Apparently it, was cougar bait.

"Well," Alice said expectantly. "Did you let her jingle your bells?"

Edward laughed. Bella wasn't sure what was warmer, the fire or his laugh.

"No. Not even a little bit. In fact, I told her 'thanks, but I'll just keep my bells unjingled'," he told them, still smiling.

Bella glanced at her watch and was surprised to see it was already almost ten. The three of them had been talking, laughing, and drinking for over an hour. They were cozy warm, sitting in a loose circle on the rug in front of the fireplace. It was amazing how well they were getting along for people who'd spoken most of their words to each other in passing. Alice was refilling their wine glasses when her phone vibrated against the hardwood. She smiled as she picked it up.

"Boyfriend will be here shortly," she told her companions.

Bella couldn't help but feel a brief pang of jealousy. It had been quite some time since she had someone who would play the hero. She took a sip of her wine and snuck a little look at Edward. His profile was nearly Herculean. She would be willing to bet he'd make a great hero.

"So, Bella," he said suddenly, making her jump. "How's school?"

"Oh," she said, trying to fight the blush she felt rising to her cheeks. "I'm almost done with program. This summer I'll be certified. I've already secured a job with Le Boutique Spa, so I'm pretty stoked."

Bella was a little surprised that Edward remembered she was in school. They had discussed her massage technician program once when they bumped into each other at the mailbox.

"That's awesome," he told her, smiling sweetly.

Bella felt herself smile in answer. For just a moment, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his absolute perfect face. Then Alice broke her from her stupor.

"Looks like my chariot awaits," she said, gesturing outside with her phone. She bounced to her feet. "I'll put my glass in the sink, ok?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Alice, I'll take it," Bella said, snapping back to reality. She started to get up to play the host.

"No, sit," Alice insisted, pushing Bella's shoulder back down as she got to her feet. It was a pretty tough push for such a little girl. "Thanks, for having me."

In a whirlwind, Alice deposited her glass and headed out the door, calling 'later' back over her shoulder. Edward laughed again.

"She's most certainly _interesting_ ," he said.

Bella smiled.

"I like her," she said. She felt like she had made a new friend in Alice that night, and that made her happy.

"I think I do too," he agreed. He took another sip and looked thoughtful. "So, when you get your new job, what's the odds of you giving me a discount?"

"Cougars stressing you out?" Bella asked, with a laugh.

"You have no idea," he replied, shaking his head.

"Well, how about a mini session on the house?" she asked. She was feeling bold. It was part the serendipitous nature of the evening and part the wine.

"What? Now?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"You got somewhere else to be?"

"You have a point. What do I need to do?" he asked, setting his glass down.

"Take off your shirt and lay on your stomach," she told him. "I can work some of the stress out of your shoulders and neck."

Much to Bella's delight, he complied without hesitation. As he lifted his shirt, she burned mental images into her brain of tight, toned stomach and chiseled chest. When he was laying flat, she startled him and sat on his lower back. It was about a million miles away from actual professional techniques she learned in school, but she was pretty sure Edward didn't give a shit. Especially when she pressed her fingers into the tense muscles in his shoulders and he let out a groan. Her professional training was the only thing that kept the shiver, that groan sent up her spine, from turning into a full body quake.

Bella worked, rubbed, and kneaded until she was pretty sure Edward's even breathing indicated he was asleep. She was surprised when she heard his sleepy voice.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?" She was smiling again at his half-awake tone.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Uh, yeah," she replied, surprised.

Her curiosity caused her to still her motions. Edward took that opportunity to roll over underneath her, causing her to gasp. Instead of firm ass, she was suddenly sitting on top of a hard dick, straining under his jeans.

"I've had such a huge crush on you," he said, staring up at her. "And I'm probably more turned on right now, than I've ever been, in my whole fucking life."

For a short moment, Bella was frozen in shock. Then, she did the only logical thing she could have done at that moment. She grabbed his beautiful face and kissed his perfect mouth. She felt him smile against her lips, then he took over. It was all tongues twisting, lip biting, groaning, whimpering perfection. It wasn't long before he sat up, curling into her, and reversed their positions. Bella was surrounded by Edward. His hand were in her hair, his mouth was on hers, and his slim hips and seemingly less slim girth, was pressed between her legs. Bella was shocked how quickly he got her motor running. She felt like a moaning, whimper, squirming pile of girl…and she liked it.

Kisses gave way to nibbles up and down her neck and over her collarbone. Bella finally got to grab two handfuls of the wild hair she'd always dreamed of tugging on. Happily, it was just as soft as she had always imagined. As he continued his sweet torture with his mouth, she explored his skin with nails and fingertips. The touches weren't that different than the G rated massage, but now, the intent was different.

Bella's hands made a slow path down his back and over his hips, but when she slid them between the two of them, Edward stilled.

"Wait," he gasped between kisses. It was like he wanted to stop, but he really didn't either. But then, he sat back on his knees and took her hands in his.

"What? What's wrong?" Bella asked, alarmed.

"I don't…" he began.

"Oh, I have condoms," she said helpfully.

Edward laughed.

"Not that," he told her.

Her brow scrunched together in confusion. She was pretty sure she'd read the signs right. Seeing her expression, he brought her hands to his lips and softly kissed her knuckles.

"I want to wait," he said.

"Wait? Are you religious?" she asked, still baffled.

He laughed again.

"No. Not really. I just think it's better if we wait," he said.

"Uh…why?" Bella asked. Her brain and her vagina were having some issues deciding who was currently running the show, resulting in confusion and loss of tact.

"I really like you, Bella. I don't want to hook up with you. I mean, I do want to hook up with you," he corrected, with a sexy little smirk. "But, I don't want this to be a one night thing. At least, not if you don't."

His smirk melted into a look of hesitancy. Bella couldn't help but wonder if she'd gotten black out drunk at the mall and relayed her Christmas wish to Santa, because it was clearly coming true. Edward Cullen, the elusive crush across the hall, wanted to date her.

"So?" he prodded.

"Ok," she said, nodding her head.

"Ok, you don't, or you do, or what? You gotta give me a little more to work with here, lady," he said, his smile coming back.

"I definitely want to date you," she told him grinning. "But for now, I want to kiss you some more."

They kissed until the lights came back on.

A/N: We're gonna call it a one shot for now but I reserve the right to entertain these guys again ;)


End file.
